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Some 350 pay tribute to slain 6-month-old Jonah

Cheryl McCall, who works with Jordan Mendoza's mother, holds two candles with about 350 other family and friends who attended a candlelight vigil Thursday night, January 10, 2013, on the Ocala downtown square for Jonah Mendoza, the 6-month-old boy shot and killed by his mother, Melanie Reyes, last Friday. The boy's father, Jordan Mendoza addressed the crowd that attended the vigil and thanked them for their support.

Published: Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 10:53 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, January 11, 2013 at 10:13 a.m.

Young and old, men and women, some holding children, others hugging loved ones, all huddled among themselves on a breezy night at a candlelight vigil held Thursday by the gazebo at the downtown square. They paid tribute to a 6-month-old boy who was fatally shot by his mother last Friday.

Facts

Funeral service

* A service/memorial for Jonah Mendoza will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Wyomina Park Baptist Church, 1411 NE 14th St., Ocala.

* After the service, there will be a graveside service at Good Shepherd Memorial Gardens, 5050 SW 20th St., Ocala.

* After the graveside service, mourners will gather back at the church. Those in attendance can bring food and refreshments.

How you can help

There are two ways to help Jordan Mendoza pay for the arrangements:

* A PayPal account has been established to help defray costs. Call Sierra Hutton at 817-3020 or Amanda Lucas at 502-5109 for more information.

* A fundraiser will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday at AMF Galaxy West, 1818 SW 17th St., Ocala. Bowlers pay $12, which includes shoe rental.

Photo Galleries

Among the roughly 350 people in attendance were the Marion County sheriff's deputies who were the first emergency personnel to arrive at the scene, one of the investigators who handled the case, along with Sheriff Chris Blair.

The event began around 7:25 p.m. with organizers Amanda Lucas and Sierra Hutton, fighting back tears, talking about the victim, Jonah Mendoza. Turning to Jonah's father, Jordan Mendoza, they read a poem, which afterward caused the young father to briefly step away to gather his emotions.

With music playing softly in the background, the organizers invited people from the audience to say a few words, which several people did.

From there, Mendoza lit one of the dozens of small candles, each with a picture wrapped around it on a table in front of the stage. Mendoza then went into the crowd, which was asked to gather close to the podium, and lit other small candles held by others.

As some people were lighting other candles, Mendoza and a few others close to him looked at another table, covered with a red tablecloth, which had a collage of pictures of his son on two cardboard-style frames. Also on the table was a small wooden box that had pictures of his son on one side, and a tiny red Michael Jordan jersey.

In thanking the crowd, Mendoza said their support meant so much to him, and he was touched to know that he has tremendous support in his time of need.

"I love my son so much," he said in a soft voice.

On one of the tables were two containers, one large, another small, into which attendees could drop donations to assist the family for funeral arrangements. Funeral services are slated for Saturday at Wyomina Park Baptist Church, 1411 NE 14th St., at 11 a.m.

On Jan. 4, Melanie Reyes, 20, shot and killed Jonah at the northwest Ocala home where she and her son lived. Reyes, who was pregnant, also shot herself. Family members disconnected Melanie Reyes from life support Tuesday.

Before the tribute, Hutton, who has known Jonah's father for several years, said her friend is coping as best he can, and she helped to organize Thursday's vigil because she wanted to do something for him.

"I felt I needed to do something for the family," she said.

Sean Johnson, his girlfriend, Jennifer Chancey, and her 17-year-old daughter, Amber, said they live two houses away from where the shooting happened. They said they wanted to be there to support their neighbor.

<p>Young and old, men and women, some holding children, others hugging loved ones, all huddled among themselves on a breezy night at a candlelight vigil held Thursday by the gazebo at the downtown square. They paid tribute to a 6-month-old boy who was fatally shot by his mother last Friday.</p><p>Among the roughly 350 people in attendance were the Marion County sheriff's deputies who were the first emergency personnel to arrive at the scene, one of the investigators who handled the case, along with Sheriff Chris Blair.</p><p>The event began around 7:25 p.m. with organizers Amanda Lucas and Sierra Hutton, fighting back tears, talking about the victim, Jonah Mendoza. Turning to Jonah's father, Jordan Mendoza, they read a poem, which afterward caused the young father to briefly step away to gather his emotions.</p><p>With music playing softly in the background, the organizers invited people from the audience to say a few words, which several people did.</p><p>From there, Mendoza lit one of the dozens of small candles, each with a picture wrapped around it on a table in front of the stage. Mendoza then went into the crowd, which was asked to gather close to the podium, and lit other small candles held by others.</p><p>As some people were lighting other candles, Mendoza and a few others close to him looked at another table, covered with a red tablecloth, which had a collage of pictures of his son on two cardboard-style frames. Also on the table was a small wooden box that had pictures of his son on one side, and a tiny red Michael Jordan jersey.</p><p>In thanking the crowd, Mendoza said their support meant so much to him, and he was touched to know that he has tremendous support in his time of need.</p><p>"I love my son so much," he said in a soft voice.</p><p>On one of the tables were two containers, one large, another small, into which attendees could drop donations to assist the family for funeral arrangements. Funeral services are slated for Saturday at Wyomina Park Baptist Church, 1411 NE 14th St., at 11 a.m.</p><p>On Jan. 4, Melanie Reyes, 20, shot and killed Jonah at the northwest Ocala home where she and her son lived. Reyes, who was pregnant, also shot herself. Family members disconnected Melanie Reyes from life support Tuesday.</p><p>Before the tribute, Hutton, who has known Jonah's father for several years, said her friend is coping as best he can, and she helped to organize Thursday's vigil because she wanted to do something for him.</p><p>"I felt I needed to do something for the family," she said.</p><p>Sean Johnson, his girlfriend, Jennifer Chancey, and her 17-year-old daughter, Amber, said they live two houses away from where the shooting happened. They said they wanted to be there to support their neighbor.</p><p>"You hate to lose someone so precious. We wanted to pay our respects," Johnson said.</p><p>Andrea Brown and her two children, 10-year-old Javinity and 4-month-old Bryson, made the trip and wanted to show their support for the Mendoza family.</p><p>Although Jonah's death is "hard to explain" and has left her "speechless," Brown said she hopes the message from this tragedy is for everyone to pay close attention to those in need.</p><p>"Treat it as serious as a bomb threat," she said.</p><p>Standing next to her was Glenda Rennells, who asked everyone to "reach out" to someone in need.</p><p>"It's a tragedy," she said.</p>